In The Making of Modern Britain, Andrew Marr paints a fascinating portrait of life in Britain during the first half of the twentieth century as the country recovered from the grand wreckage of the British Empire. Between the death of Queen Victoria and the end of the Second World War, the nation was shaken by war and peace. The two wars were the worst we had ever known and the episodes of peace among the most turbulent and surprising.
In a pulls-no-punches essay intended to provoke rational discussion, Stephen King sets down his thoughts about gun violence in America. Anger and grief in the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School are palpable in this urgent piece of writing, but no less remarkable are King's keen thoughtfulness and composure as he explores the contours of the gun-control issue and constructs his argument for what can and should be done.
"Forty-four percent of the American population is convinced that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead sometime in the next 50 years," writes Sam Harris. "Imagine the consequences if any significant component of the U.S. government actually believed that the world was about to end and that its ending would be glorious. The fact that nearly half of the American population apparently believes this...should be considered a moral and intellectual emergency."
Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East
By
Michael B. Oren
Narrated By
Robert Whitfield
Overall
(34)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
In Israel and the West, it is called the Six Day War. In the Arab world, it is known as the June War or, simply, as "the Setback". Never has a conflict so short, unforeseen, and largely unwanted by both sides so transformed the world. The Yom Kippur War, the war in Lebanon, the Camp David accords, the controversy over Jerusalem and Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the intifada, and the rise of Palestinian terror are all part of the outcome of those six days.
In the book that he was born to write, provocateur and best-selling author Christopher Hitchens inspires future generations of radicals, gadflies, mavericks, rebels, angry young (wo)men, and dissidents. Who better to speak to that person who finds him or herself in a contrarian position than Hitchens, who has made a career of disagreeing in profound and entertaining ways.
Treasure Islands: Tax Havens and the Men Who Stole the World
By
Nicholas Shaxson
Narrated By
Tim Bentinck
Overall
(27)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
Most people regard tax havens as being relevant only to celebrities, crooks and spivs, and mistakenly believe that the main offshore problems are money laundering and terrorist financing. These are only small parts of the whole picture. The offshore system has been (discreetly) responsible for the greatest ever shift of wealth from poor to rich. It also undermines our democracies by offering the wealthiest members of society escape routes from normal democratic controls.
Best-selling author Vincent Bugliosi has written the most important and thought-provoking book of his prolific career. In a meticulously researched and clearly presented legal case that puts George W. Bush on trial for murder after he leaves his presidency, Bugliosi delivers a searing indictment of the president and his administration.
Frost/Nixon: Behind the Scenes of the Nixon Interviews
By
David Frost
Narrated By
David Frost
Overall
(21)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
Following on from the huge success of the eponymous West End and Broadway play, Frost/Nixon tells the extraordinary story of how David Frost pursued and landed the biggest fish of his career. When he first conceived the idea of interviewing Richard Nixon and trying to bring the ex-President to confront his past, he was told on all sides that the project would never get off the ground.
Late each night for over 25 years, the Labour MP and former Secretary of State Tony Benn sat alone and dictated onto tape his account of the daily events at the heart of government. The immediacy, passion, and mood is striking as he unburdens himself of the pressure and stress, trials and tribulations of government and opposition, with accounts veering from anecdotal to almost confessional.
The downloadable audiobook edition of Andrew Feinstein's powerful exposé, The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade, complete and unabridged and read by the actor Gildart Jackson.
The relationship between those who wield power and those whose job it is to tell us what they are doing has always been fraught with tension. Politicians now expect to be on camera and facing aggressive questions from the moment they open their front door to the moment they return home at night. Everything they say and do is instantly broadcast and dissected on 24-hour news channels, blogs, and Twitter. It was not always this way. Live from Downing Street takes us on an absorbing journey through the hard-fought battles for the right to tell the public about the decisions taken on their behalf.
Late each night for over 25 years, the Labour MP and former Secretary of State Tony Benn sat alone and dictated onto tape his account of the daily events at the heart of government. Here, in the second highly acclaimed Radio 4 series, he reveals what he discovered from his scrutiny of the nuclear industry and why he now believes nuclear power is unsafe.
Perilous Question features an eventful, violent often overlooked period of British history. On 7th June 1832, William IV reluctantly assented to pass the Great Reform Bill, under the double threat of the creation of 60 new peers in the House of Lords and of revolution throughout the country. This led to a total change in the way Britain was governed, a two-year revolution that Antonia Fraser brings dramatically to life.
Beginning with the story of a simple burglary at Democratic headquarters and then continuing with headline after headline, Bernstein and Woodward kept the tale of conspiracy and the trail of dirty tricks coming - delivering the stunning revelations and pieces in the Watergate puzzle that brought about Nixon's scandalous downfall. Their explosive reports won a Pulitzer Prize for The Washington Post and toppled the president. This is the book that changed America.
The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America
by
David Stockman
Narrated by
William Hughes
Not rated yet
David Stockman was the architect of the Reagan Revolution that was meant to restore sound money principles to the U.S. government. It failed, derailed by politics, special interests, welfare, and warfare. Stockman describes how the working of free markets and democracy has long been under threat in America and provides a surprising, nonpartisan catalog of the corrupters and defenders. His analysis shows how both liberal and neoconservative interference in markets has proved damaging and often dangerous.
In The Making of Modern Britain, Andrew Marr paints a fascinating portrait of life in Britain during the first half of the twentieth century as the country recovered from the grand wreckage of the British Empire. Between the death of Queen Victoria and the end of the Second World War, the nation was shaken by war and peace. The two wars were the worst we had ever known and the episodes of peace among the most turbulent and surprising.
Considering the role of justice in our society and our lives, Michael Sandel reveals how an understanding of philosophy can help to make sense of politics, religion, morality - and our own convictions. Breaking down hotly contested issues - from abortion, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage to patriotism, dissent, and affirmative action - Sandel shows how the biggest questions in our civic life can be broken down and illuminated through reasoned debate.
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
by
Barack Obama
Narrated by
Barack Obama
4.1
(87 ratings)
In July 2004, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. Now, in The Audacity of Hope, he calls for a different brand of politics: a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the "endless clash of armies" we see in Congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of "our improbable experiment in democracy".
Nuclear Energy Must Power Our Future: An Intelligence Squared Debate
4.3
(4 ratings)
Lord Parkinson, Former Secretary of State for Energy; Bishop Hugh Montefiore, Former Bishop of Birmingham and former Trustee of Friends of the Earth; and Bruno Comby, Founder and President of Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy spoke for the motion.
In a pulls-no-punches essay intended to provoke rational discussion, Stephen King sets down his thoughts about gun violence in America. Anger and grief in the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School are palpable in this urgent piece of writing, but no less remarkable are King's keen thoughtfulness and composure as he explores the contours of the gun-control issue and constructs his argument for what can and should be done.
The downloadable audiobook edition of Andrew Feinstein's powerful exposé, The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade, complete and unabridged and read by the actor Gildart Jackson.
63 Documents the Government Doesn't Want You to Read
by
Jesse Ventura,
Dick Russell
Narrated by
George K. Wilson
3.0
(2 ratings)
There's the Freedom of Information Act, and then there's Ventura's way. The official spin on numerous government programs is flat-out bull, according to Jesse Ventura. In this incredible collection of actual government documents, Ventura, the ultimate nonpartisan truth-seeker, proves it beyond any doubt. He and Dick Russell walk listeners through 63 of the most incriminating programs to reveal what really happens behind the closed doors.
In May 2010, British politics entered a revolutionary new era. With the election of the first hung parliament since 1974, Britain found itself in the unfamiliar world of coalition government. Explaining what this all means, this incisive introduction shows us how our politics is changing and why we should care about it. Exploring the structure of British government, 'spin', foreign policy, and the fallout from the expenses scandal and the financial crisis, Grayson reveals the complex interactions that determine everything from the taxes we pay to when we put the wheelie bin out.
Who Runs Britain?: And Who's to Blame for the Economic Mess We're In?
by
Robert Peston
Narrated by
Will Thorp
4.0
(55 ratings)
On 13 September 2007, Robert Peston broke the news that Northern Rock had become a victim of the global credit crunch and was seeking an emergency loan from the Bank of England. It was the latest in a long line of scoops by this award-winning journalist. Over the weeks that followed, the Government found itself exposed to the Rock to the tune of £57 billion, or almost £2,000 for every taxpayer.
A Bad Day on the Romney Campaign: An Insider's Account
By
Gabriel Schoenfeld
Narrated By
Don Hagen
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
In A Bad Day on the Romney Campaign: An Insider's Account, Gabriel Schoenfeld, a senior adviser to the Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney for nearly two years, for the first time speaks out about the internal failures of the 2012 campaign. The book illuminates the chain of errors that ultimately contributed to Romney's defeat. Rich with detail and full of high drama, it will be of interest to anyone who wants to go behind the scenes to gain an inside look at how our political system actually operates, with all of its charms and all of its flaws.
Vaccine Epidemic: How Corporate Greed, Biased Science, and Coercive Government Threaten Our Human Rights, Our Health, and Our Children
By
Louise Kuo Habakus (editor),
Mary Holland (editor)
Narrated By
Kris Koscheski,
Coleen Marlo
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
National polls show that Americans are increasingly concerned about vaccine safety and the right to make individual, informed choices together with their healthcare practitioners. Vaccine Epidemic focuses on the searing debate surrounding individual and parental vaccination choice in the United States. Featuring more than 20 experts from the fields of ethics, law, science, medicine, business, and history, Vaccine Epidemic urgently calls for reform.
Louise Kuo Habakus (editor)
,
Mary Holland (editor)
Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda
By
Noam Chomsky
Narrated By
Noam Chomsky
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
Noam Chomsky's backpocket classic on wartime propaganda and opinion control begins by asserting two models of democracy - one in which the public actively participates, and one in which the public is manipulated and controlled. According to Chomsky, "propaganda is to democracy as the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state", and the mass media is the primary vehicle for delivering propaganda in the United States.
Perilous Question features an eventful, violent often overlooked period of British history. On 7th June 1832, William IV reluctantly assented to pass the Great Reform Bill, under the double threat of the creation of 60 new peers in the House of Lords and of revolution throughout the country. This led to a total change in the way Britain was governed, a two-year revolution that Antonia Fraser brings dramatically to life.
Framed: America's 51 Constitutions and the Crisis of Governance
By
Sanford Levinson
Narrated By
A. T. Chandler
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
In his widely acclaimed volume Our Undemocratic Constitution, Sanford Levinson boldly argued that our Constitution should not be treated with "sanctimonious reverence," but as a badly flawed document deserving revision. Now Levinson takes us deeper, asking what were the original assumptions underlying our institutions, and whether we accept those assumptions 225 years later.
The Murder of Princess Diana: Revealed: The Truth Behind the Assassination of the Century
By
Noel Botham
Narrated By
Simon Whistler
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
The death of Princess Diana, Princess of Wales, sent shockwaves around the world. A nation was left in mourning, but soon feelings of suspicion surfaced: was her death all that the Establishment might wish us to believe? Now, after an exhaustive two-year probe, investigative writer and former journalist Noel Botham has dared to reveal what the people of Britain have always believed - that Diana's death was murder.
Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know
By
Mark A. R. Kleiman,
Jonathan P. Caulkins,
Angela Hawken,
Beau Kilmer
Narrated By
Steven Menasche
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
Should marijuana be legalized? The latest Gallup poll reports that exactly half of Americans say "yes"; opinion couldn't be more evenly divided. Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know will provide readers with a non-partisan primer about the topic, covering everything from the risks and benefits of using marijuana, to describing the current laws around the drug in the U.S. and abroad.
Mark A. R. Kleiman
,
Jonathan P. Caulkins
,
Angela Hawken
,
Beau Kilmer
The U.S. Supreme Court: A Very Short Introduction
By
Linda Greenhouse
Narrated By
Lucinda Gainey
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
In this Very Short Introduction, Linda Greenhouse draws on her deep knowledge of the court's history and of its written and unwritten rules to show readers how the Supreme Court really works. She offers a fascinating institutional biography of a place and its people--men and women who exercise great power but whose names and faces are unrecognized by many Americans and whose work often appears cloaked in mystery.
Workers talk about the lives they lived, the battles they fought, the union they built, and the history they made. The United Auto Workers' Ford Local No. 600 was not only the biggest local union in the world, it was also one of the most militant, radical, yet democratic unions in the United States. Talking Union gives us the exceptional opportunity to hear members of this local tell about their activism as they experienced it.
In the post-9/11 West, there is no shortage of strident voices telling us that Islam is a threat to the security, values, way of life, and even existence of the United States and Europe. In this fearless, original, and surprising book, Anne Norton demolishes the notion that there is a "clash of civilizations" between the West and Islam. What is really in question, she argues, is the West's commitment to its own ideals: to democracy and the Enlightenment trinity of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
Becoming Right: How Campuses Shape Young Conservatives
By
Amy J. Binder,
Kate Wood
Narrated By
Erin Clarke
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
Conservative pundits allege that the pervasive liberalism of America's colleges and universities has detrimental effects on undergraduates, most particularly right-leaning ones. Yet not enough attention has actually been paid to young conservatives to test these claims - until now. In Becoming Right, Amy Binder and Kate Wood carefully explore who conservative students are, and how their beliefs and political activism relate to their university experiences.
Keep It Pithy: Useful Observations in a Tough World
By
Bill O'Reilly
Narrated By
Bill O'Reilly,
Dan Woren
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
Bill O'Reilly is one of the most recognized and talked-about journalists of our time. With an unparalleled track record as an author and with the number-one-rated Fox News show The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly has become a veritable institution of political insight and keen advice. In Keep It Pithy, O'Reilly offers a classic collection of the most memorable writings from his best-selling books, and looks back at how his opinions and ideas have been proven right or wrong by the passage of time.